Grace Park

As a young teen, I spent large chunks of my summers staying with relatives on Oahu. And though I logged my share of time on the beach and in the ocean, what really captivated me was “Hawaii Five-0.”

I looked up to Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord). I loved the action. I dug the theme song … And I spent long hours trying to track down where the show was filming, so I could hang out on the set, watch the production process and mingle with the crew. Looking back, those days were the seeds of would grow into a career devoted to writing about the television industry.

So it was truly a thrill to sort of come full circle recently when I visited the set of the new “Five-0″ to interview Alex O’Loughlin and the rest of the cast. I’ve already posted my interview with O’Loughlin. What follows are a few random observations, quotes and spoilers:

– The Five-0 set in downtown Honolulu has a loose family feel to it. Some of the actors bring their dogs to work and they let them roam around freely. At one point, I spotted a buffed-up crew member romping through the parking lot with Scott Caan on his back — holding on for dear life.

– Of that “family feel,” Daniel Dae Kim said, “It’s not like Los Angeles, where there are 25 productions going on at the same time and everyone goes their separate ways and sprawls out. We’re all on the same island. We’ll see each other at the grocerey store. And we’ll all hang out and have barbecues together.”

When a makeover is attempted on a successful television show, it’s almost always bungled. “Bionic Woman.” “Knight Rider.” “Melrose Place.” They’re just a few notorious examples of recent reboots that quickly crashed and burned.

So when I heard CBS would remake “Hawaii Five-0″ — a show that I maniacally cherished as a kid — I instantly experienced a case of cold sweats. “How many ways are they going to screw this one up?” I wondered.

But consider my mind happily blown. CBS has presented viewers with an exciting gift this fall. Their “Five-0″ update (10 p.m. tonight) not only doesn’t stink, it’s an action-packed, easy-on-the-eyes thrill ride that is slicker and sexier than the original series that aired from 1968 to ’80. It also contains a sense of humor that the stone-cold serious Jack Lord version lacked.

Stepping into Lord’s shoes as Detective Steve McGarrett, Oahu’s crime-fighting Big Kahuna, is Alex O’Loughlin, who after two strikes with CBS (“Moonlight”; “Three Rivers”) is getting his third — and probably final — swing.

And what a contrast he brings. Gone are the lacquered black pompadour, steely stare and granite jaw. Yes, O’Loughlin’s McGarrett is still a stoic man on a mission, but there’s an engaging hang-looseness to him. He prefers T-shirts to dark suits and isn’t shy about stripping them off to show off his rippled abs.

In tonight’s high-octane opener, McGarrett is introduced as a decorated Naval Intelligence officer out to crack a terrorist cell. But the murder of his estranged father brings him home to Hawaii, where the governor (Jean Smart) persuades him to stay and head up a new elite police task force. Explosions ensue. And gunfights.

The most dramatic — and best — change is McGarrett’s relationship with his sidekick Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan). In the original, Danny, played by James MacArthur, was little more than a stage prop, doing what he was told, no questions asked.

But in “Five-0″ 2.0, Danny has transformed from yes-man to wing man. He and McGarrett are more like equals — equals who engage in verbal (even physical) sparring matches. Their smack-talking banter helps to keep things playful, and Caan is a scene-stealing delight.

Rounding out the highly appealing cast are Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”) and Grace Park (“Battlestar Galactica”). The latter brings a feminine touch that was virtually nonexistent in the testosterone-laced original. But better not cross her. This feisty surfer-chick packs a mean punch.